COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A University of
Maryland professor who invented a new technology enabling him to develop an
infinite variety of safe, pure plastics won the attention of a group of
venture capitalists and the title of "Best Inventor Pitch" at Bioscience
Day 2007, held Nov. 13.

Sponsored by the university's Office of Technology Commercialization,
the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, and MTECH Ventures, the
"Professor Venture Fair" was a new event at the university's annual
Bioscience Day and gave faculty inventors the opportunity to pitch their
new technologies to a team of nine venture capitalists from Maryland and
Virginia. Presenters were judged based upon clarity of pitch, commercial
viability, and licensing potential. The event was hosted by Terry Chase
Hazell, president and CEO of SD Nanosciences Inc., a locally based,
start-up biotechnology company.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Lawrence Sita won for a technology
he's developed over eight years enabling him to produce pure plastic
products, with no additives or as blends, in an infinite variety of forms.

"This award validates my interest to further develop this technology
for commercial applications," says Sita. "Having the opportunity to vet
this invention through venture capitalists is significant, as they
represent field experts you are likely to do business with in the future."

Through a single catalyst and processes protected under four patents,
Sita can produce polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and other
polyolefin-based plastics from oil-derived raw materials that are 100
percent recyclable and require no chemical additives to achieve a wide
range of properties of technological importance. Both PE and PP-based
materials are also currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration
for internal and external medical use and have no known associated health
risks.

Sita can direct this new technology using a single catalyst to prepare
a wide variety of end-products that include oils, adhesives, coatings,
films, fibers, rubber, and both rigid and flexible plastics without having
to rely on chemical additives or other blending agents to impart the range
of physical properties accessible.

"The traditional paradigm for developing new plastic grades is to use a
trial-and-error approach, which might involve taking thousands of catalysts
and screening them in the hopes that you find one to make a specific grade
of PE- or PP-based plastic," Sita explains. That process can take years.

"If you tell me you need adhesives with a specific set of
characteristics, we can generate ten different materials around these
target parameters within a couple of days--without having to go back to the
drawing board each time," says Sita.

Plastics with potentially dangerous additives have been banned in 41
countries, as well as in California, leaving a gap for new products. Sita
hopes to fill that void by launching a company around his technology, which
he would license from the University of Maryland.

Sita's work is funded by over $1 million in grant funds from the
National Science Foundation and $50,000 from the Maryland Technology
Development Corporation (TEDCO). W.R. Grace also supported a graduate
student intern to study potential the commercial viability of his catalyst
technology in a close partnership with Sita and the University of Maryland.

Sita's mentors have included 2005 Nobel Prize Winners Robert H. Grubbs
and Richard R. Schrock, from the California Institute of Technology and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, respectively.

Judges for the Best Inventor Pitch included: Joe Del Guercio, managing
director for CNF Investments; Mark Frantz, General Partner for RedShift
Ventures; Christine Copple, president and CEO of Starise Ventures; George
Pipia, Sr., manager of business development for MedImmune Inc.; Robb Doub,
managing director of New Markets Growth Fund; Evan Jones, principal of jVen
Capital; and Jigar Raythatha, principal of Red Abbey Ventures.

The Best Inventor Pitch is part of the University of Maryland's annual
Bioscience Research & Technology Review Day, a special event featuring
research talks, presentations, mini-symposia and demonstrations by
university scientists. The program provides a unique opportunity for
executives and professionals in industry and government to discover the
most recent advances in bioscience and biotechnology at the University of
Maryland; to promote the potential for academic-industry-government
collaboration; to meet University scientists and interact with graduate
student researchers; to network with colleagues who share an interest in
the promotion of bioscience and the bioscience industry; and to recruit
employees and investigate job opportunities.

(Date:10/11/2017)... ... ... is a basic first aid supply for any work environment, but most personal eye wash ... if a dangerous substance enters both eyes? It’s one less decision, and likely quicker response ... piece. , “Whether its dirt and debris, or an acid or alkali, getting anything in ...

(Date:10/11/2017)... Oct. 11, 2017 VMS BioMarketing, a leading provider of ... oncology Clinical Nurse Educator (CNE) network, which will launch this ... communication among health care professionals to enhance the patient care ... staff, and other health care professionals to help women who ... ...

(Date:10/11/2017)... ... 11, 2017 , ... A new study published in Fertility ... fresh in vitro fertilization (IVF) transfer cycles. The multi-center matched cohort ... After comparing the results from the fresh and frozen transfer cohorts, the authors ...

(Date:8/15/2017)... 2017 ivWatch LLC , a medical device company focused ... announced receipt of its ISO 13485 Certification, the global standard for ... for Standardization (ISO®). ... 400 Continuous Monitoring device for the early detection of IV infiltrations. ... "This is an important milestone for ivWatch, ...

(Date:6/30/2017)... 30, 2017 Today, American Trucking Associations ... of face and eye tracking software, became the ... program. "Artificial intelligence and advanced ... monitor a driver,s attentiveness levels while on the ... to detect fatigue and prevent potential accidents, which ...